The Crown Princess
by camria
Summary: No one really knows that theres a Earth Nation crown princess
1. Chapter 1

I knew things were bad, but I didn't know they were THIS bad. They were so bad I had to sneak into my own palace. Yes, I hadn't been home in 3 years, but still. I hid behind a column in front of the throne room. I hope Father escaped safely. There were three Dai Li standing guard at the door. I moved my hands and feet, and took them out quietly. I walked into the throne room.

There were four people. Three girls and one boy. One girl was bored, one was really perky, and the last girl was sitting in the throne with a sly smile on her face. The boy was about my age, and he had a big scar on his face. Two of the girls and the boy saw me and stood in their attack positions. By the way the boy stood, it was easy to guess that he was a firebender. The two girls obviously were not. The last girl, who was sitting in the throne, waved her hand and they backed down.

"Hello, Princess Orchid. It's nice of you to join us."

"Hello, Princess Azula." I said, standing tall.

"How was it, traveling around your nation? Seeing your nation burn to the ground? Now, your precious city has fall-"

"You don't scare me, Azula."

"Tsk tsk, Orchid. Interrupting is not something a princess does. Dai Li," Azula said, snapping her fingers, "Take the princess to her room." The Dai Li came over to me, expecting a fight. I bowed my head down. They easily took me by the wrists and dragged me out of the room.

"A good princess knows when to surrender" I heard Azula say.

"Yes, you three, the Earth Nation has a crown princess." Azula said after the Dai Li dragged Orchid out of the room. "Zuko, I want you to guard her."

"What? Why me? Why can't you just put her in the dungeon?" I asked.

"Because that's what she expects, Zuzu. She knows how the Dai Li fight, she was trained by them. We need someone at her level to watch her, and I'm already busy. Besides, she'll probably run away before we leave. Now go." I walked out of the throne room, and wandered around the palace until I found two large doors with two Dai Li standing in front of it.

"Go. Azula told me to guard the princess." I said. The two exchanged looks and walked away. The doors had a big, golden dragon on it. It eyes were two little emeralds. It was looking at me, glaring. It seemed like it didn't want me there.

I was just getting used to my room again when I felt the two Dai Li leave and someone else was standing in his place. I walked over to the door and opened it.

"Yes?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Yes?" It was the boy standing there. He quickly took his hand away from the knob.

"Azula sent me to guard you." I said. Did I just see a smile cross her face?

"Hm. Very well." I said, opening the door. His eyes widened at the sight of my lush garden.

"You have a forest in your room?" He asked.

"Why not?" I said, as I headed back to my favorite reading place.

"Well…Where do you sleep?"

"Theres a room right through," I said, pointing to a deep brown door, "there."

He stood in the corner, watching me. The days passed like that, I would go about my daily life and he would sit some where, eyes on me. I desperately wanted to sneak out into Ba-Sing-Se, but I knew the results would be disastrous. We talked often, but it was usually me telling him things about the palace.

I learned his name was Zuko. He was the banished prince of the fire nation, and his mother left him when he was 10. We never saw Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee (Zuko told me their names). He was different that boys my age. He was easy to talk to, a great listener and very polite.

One night, Orchid and I were sitting in her very big garden. She was only a few feet away from me, reading. I looked at her. Her long, black hair fell gracefully over her shoulders. Her emerald eyes were intense. She was smart, clever, not that graceful, and very beautiful.

Zuko kept glancing at me. I looked back, and our eyes locked. I quickly looked away, and he did too. Then I realized I wanted someone like him in my life.

We faced each other. I leaned closer, and so did she. Then our lips touched.

We kissed for a second, and then I quickly pulled away.

"I…I need to go…" I said, running off.

When I reached my room, I sunk into my bed. Could I be falling in love? With HIM? I was so deep into my thoughts that I didn't hear the small pebbles hitting my window. I looked, and saw the cloaked person in my window.


	3. Chapter 3

"Orchid!" The cloaked person said, jumping off the window sill.

"Toph?" I asked, as she ran toward me.

"I'm so happy to see you!" She said.

"Come on, Toph! We need to go NOW." A girl's voice said, coming from the window.

"Orchid, get on Appa." Toph ordered, almost pushing me out the window.

"Who?" I said, looking out the window. A big, white thing was floating by it with a brown haired girl at the reigns. They were busting me out! "Wait." I walked over to my paper and ink and wrote a quick note. Then I climbed on this Appa thing, on we flew off into the night.

-----

Orchid was unusually quiet. Well…We did kiss… I walked into her room to find she had left. There was a note on her bed. I picked it up and read it. It was obviously Orchid's careful writing.

_I'm sorry._

That's all it said. I sat down on her bed and put my head in my hands.

-----

"You have some explaining to do, young lady." I said, as we were flying away from Ba-Sing-Se.

"Yes, _Mother._"

"No, seriously. Whats going on?"

"It's a long story, Orchid. You should go to sleep."

"Who's being the mom now? Tell me, or will have to get it out of you. I have my ways." I said only being half-serious.

"What will you do, _Princess_?" Toph asked. I glared at Toph. We both burst out laughing before Toph finally started the story. The girls at the reins, Katara, and her brother, Sokka, found the new avatar in an iceberg. They've been traveling the world with him, and Katara's been teaching him how to waterbend. They needed an earthbending teacher for him, so they found Toph. They found out that there will be an eclipse at the end of the summer that will take away the firebenders' powers, giving them enough time to defeat the Firelord. They traveled to Ba-Sing-Se to tell my father, but Long Feng got in the way.

"That doesn't surprise me." I said. I hated Long Feng and the Dai Li. I never trusted them.

"So, you knew he would try to take over?" Katara asked.

"Yes. I tried to tell my father before I left, but Long Feng also got in the way."

"Is that why you left?" Toph asked.

"No."

"Well, as I was saying, Azula and her brother took over the city and now we're camping out at Chameleon Bay with a fleet of Water Nation ships. We took over a fire nation ship a few days ago. We're going to use that for cover to get to the capital city. Oh, and the Avatar hasn't woken up ever since Azula hit him. But he's still alive." Toph finished with her story.

"Where's my father?" I asked.

"Back at camp, with everyone else."


	4. Chapter 4

We eventually landed at the bay. The ship was anchored there, looming over us. There was a bridge to the ship on the shore. As soon as we were on the ship, a boy in fire nation armor came running over to us.

"Katara! To-AHHH!!" He has tripped, and was now face down on the floor.

The three of us starting laughing.

"Orchid, this is my genius of a brother, Sokka." Katara said, still laughing.

"He's as clumsy as you are, Orchid." Toph said to me. A small white thing with wings came and landed on my shoulder. "And that's Momo." I pet Momo. He purred and flew over to the big bison. "And you've already met Appa."

"Princess?" I heard a voice behind me. I turned around.

"Father?" I felt something furry nudge my hand. "Hi Bosco…" I said, looking at the lazy bear next to him.

"Let's take a walk." He said, extending his elbow. I sent a glance at Toph. She was smirking. That little….

"Uh, sure…" I said, looping my arm with his.

"How was your trip?" Father asked.

"It was…" I trailed off, trying to sum up the past three year's events. "…interesting."

"You were gone a long time, Princess. When you said you were leaving, I expected you to be gone a few months."

"The Earth Nation is big, Father."

"Did you go into Fire Nation territory?" He asked. My mind flickered back to Zuko. The kiss.

"They had already started to take over before I left." Father sighed.

"I still can't believe Long Feng kept the war from me. Did you know about it?"

"Yes…"

"What else did you know?"

"Besides the war? How things were going in the nation. How things were in the city." It was silent for a few moments.

"You look so much like your mother. You have her adventurous spirit and brains too," He said, before I tripped over a rock. "And that, you get from me." He finished off, with a smile.

"Where is your master?"

"Koto?"

"Yes, him."

"He thought I should go off on my own for while. That was a few weeks before I left for Ba-Sing-Se." By now, we were back on the ship.

"Princess, I've decided to do what you did, and see the nation in disguise. You should stay here and help the avatar. I'm leaving tonight."

"That's what I was planning to do." He walked into the ship and came out a few minutes later in different clothes. Clothes that normal people wear. Every one said their good byes, and then Father hugged me.

"I'm so proud of you, Orchid. I know your mother is too." That was the first time he called me Orchid.

"I'm proud of you too, Father." I said, pushing back tears. I felt Bosco nudge my hand. I stooped down to Bosco's eye level. "Be good, okay?" I thought I saw him smile, then I stood up again.

"Good luck." I said, as Father and Bosco walked off into the sunset.


	5. Chapter 5

"Well, I'm beat" Toph said, stretching.

"Come on Orchid, you're rooming with Toph and I." I followed Katara

and Toph into the ship.

The room had 2 bunk beds with red sheets.

"You should take the bottom bunk. Knowing you, you might fall off."

Toph said laughing.

"Ha. You're so funny." I tripped over nothing and landed on the bottom bunk.

"See what I mean?"

I woke up the next day to find out I wasn't really paying attention last night, so I had no idea where I was going. It took me half an hour to find the deck. The sun was blinding, and the surrounding ocean wasn't helping

"Morning, Orchid. We took off last night." Sokka said, as he handed me a red cloak, "Wear this when you're on the deck." Katara handed me a bowl of noodles and a pair of chopsticks. I didn't realize I was so hungry.

"So...How did you find me?" I asked after a few moments of silence.

"Your father said he got a letter from your Earthbending master, saying you were coming back home." Toph said.

After we were done eating, Toph and I decided to explore the ship.

"Its so dim in here..." I said.

"Oh really, I wouldn't know... Actually, its pretty easy to see in here."

"Coming from you, I'm not so sure."

"I think you'd be able to do it...You being you and all..."

"How? Metalbending? You know I'm no where near the ability to do that."

"I can do it."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. Hey, do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" I asked.

"A little squeaking noise." We paused for a moment, then I heard it. There was a little squeaking noise, and it wasn't very far away. We followed it to a room. In the corner, there was a small Panda Bear cub. I slowly walked toward it and picked it up. It was trembling slightly.

"How did that get in here?" Toph asked,

"I don't know... It could have easily sneaked in. I think its hungry."

"Lets go find the kitchen."

By the time we got to the kitchen, the cub was almost calmed down. Toph got a piece of bread and gave it to the bear. It easily gobbled it up. We took a little bit more food and walked to our room.

"What are we going to do with it?" Toph asked once we were back in our room. The panda was sleeping in a little bed we made out of the extra bed's sheets.

"Well, I think we should keep it.

Fine. You take care of it." Toph said, jumping up on her bed. Katara and Sokka came in a few mintues later.  
"There you are! We were won- Oh! Its so cute!" Katara said, running over to the panda and petting it.  
"What is it?" Sokka asked, with Momo on his shoulder.  
"Its a panda cub, dummy" Toph replied. Sokka stuck his tongue out.  
"Where did you find it?" Katara asked.  
"On the ship." I said. The cub was now running around, meeting the two new people. It walked up to Sokka. Momo flew down to the cub, and sniffed her. They both looked at each other, then started to play-fight.  
"Really? Are you going to keep it?" Katara asked.  
"Yeah. Orchid's going to take care of it." Toph answered.  
"Have you named it?"  
"No...not yet. How about Li-Li?" The panda looked at me and sauntered over. I picked her up and put in her in my lap.

That night, I was sleeping peacefully when I felt something wet on my nose. It was Li-Li, and she was standing up on her hind legs. Her eyes were barely over the edge of the bed. I picked her up and put her next to me. She playfully bit me.  
"No- Ow- Stop- Ow- It. Its time t- Ow sleep."  
"Whats going on down there?" Toph whispered from above.  
"Li-Li- Ow- wants to- Ow- play." Li-Li now hnad my whole hand and was gnawing on it.  
"Li-Li, keep biting Orchid." Toph said, before falling asleep. Li-Li eventually fell asleep again. It didn't last long.

I woke up some time later. I must've fallen asleep biting that girl's hand. I think she was going to take care of me, she was my mommy now. The two other girls weren't there anymore. It was just the two of us. I was starving. I licked Mommy's nose. She didn't move. I licked her nose again, and I growled a little bit. She woke up. She hugged me, and then kissed me on the head.  
"Are you hungry, little girl?" She asked. I growled my approval. She got up and picked me up. We walked over to the door and opened it. I was happy to be in her arms- the gray floor was cold.


	6. Chapter 6

I wondered up to the balcony

I wondered up to the balcony. It was freezing. Li-Li was on a bench behind me happily munching on a piece of bread. I heard a crash. A young boy came running out on the deck below me. I couldn't hear what they were saying. I think that's the avatar. He's awake! The avatar then fainted. It took a few water nation warriors to get him back in his room.

"Hey." Someone said behind me. I jumped. "You are the easiest earthbender to scare." It was Toph.

"You're funny." She stood next to me.

"I'm so happy Aang is awake. He reminds me of you. You'll love him." Toph said. "Hey, Orchid… Are you okay? You're really quiet."

"I'm fine…" I lied, "It's just been a long few days." It was silent for a few seconds.

"When you were traveling, did you ever miss the palace?"

"Sometimes. Do you miss your parents?" She turned away from me.

"No. I'm going to bed. Good night." She walked away.

Toph was right… I was really quiet. I'll never see him again, and I need to get over him. I'm worrying the people I love the most, and I don't want to do that. From this point on, I'll start acting like myself.

"After what happened in Ba Sing Se, we had to get you to safety. We flew back to Chameleon Bay, where we found my father and the other Water Tribe men. The Earth King decided he wanted to travel the world in disguise, so he set off alone. Well, not completely alone. But before he left, he asked us to go pick up his daughter, Orchid," Sokka motioned to me, "From the palace. Soon, the bay was overrun with Fire Nation ships. Rather than fight them all, we captured a single ship and made it our disguise. Since then, we've been traveling west" He pointed to a map, "We crossed through The Serpent's Pass a few days ago. We've seen a few Fire Nation ships, but none have bothered us."

"So, what now?" Aang asked.

"We've been working on a modified version of the invasion plan." Hakoda said.

"It's Sokka's invasion plan." She looked annoyed.

"Yes, Sokka's plan. We won't be able to mount a massive invasion without the Earth King's armies, but the solar eclipse will still leave the Fire Nation vulnerable."

"So we're planning a smaller invasion. Just a ragtag team of our friends and allies from around the Earth Kingdom. We already ran into Pipsqueak and The Duke."

"Good to see you again, Aang." Pipsqueak said in between bites.

"And the best part is, the eclipse isn't even our biggest advantage." Sokka leaned in closer to Aang, "We have a secret." He looked around. Katara rolled her eyes. I knew what was coming- the whole world thought the Avatar was dead. I heard Azula talking to Zuko about it. I don't think Zuko believed her. I wonder how Aang was going to take it. "You."

"Me?" Aang asked.

"Yep, the whole world thinks you're dead!" He stood up, and raised his arms. "Isn't that great?!"

"The world thinks I'm dead? How is that good news? That's terrible!" Aang asked. He wasn't going to take this well, was he?

"No, it's great. It means the Fire Nation won't be hunting us anymore. And even better, they won't expect you on The Day of Black Sun." Sokka said, trying to comfort him.

"No, no, no, no, no. You have no idea. This is so messed up!" We all heard a horn- the horn of another ship. It was approaching quickly. "I'll handle this. The Avatar is back!" Aang slammed the end of the glider, opening the wings.


End file.
